What Greece and Mexico’s Teachers have in Common

I had the opportunity to pass by the Zócalo in Mexico City in the last days of August 2013 and see with my own eyes the occupation of the square and the surrounding streets by the public school teachers of CNTE, the National Coordinating Committee of Education Workers. It was impressive to see the — really huge — square of Mexico City having been transformed into a massive tent-city by the public teachers on strike, and it was even more impressive to sense how determined they were in their struggle.

neoliberalization of education” that would put the — already extremely unequal — Mexican public education system under the orders of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and make it “autonomous”: forced to look for funds from the private sector. At the same time, the President’s reforms promised to establish some kind of “performance controls” for the teachers.

videos they put on YouTube. “I go on strike — and I think we should all do so — because it is the only thing left to do for our dignity…” said one of them.